Over the last week and a bit we've also had a chance to check out Boulder and Denver.
Denver, not unlike any other city has all the 'city' amenities. Transit, pro sports events, lofts galore, government buildings and museums. It does have a pretty cool outdoor mall called 16th Street Mall. We rode the bus through here and went to the Denver Art Museum. It was a really nifty place. I'm sure Katie appreciated the art a bit more than I did, but I got to make some damn good post cards while I was there! The Modern and Contemporary art was my favourite. If ever in Denver check it out! The building alone is cool to look at, and the museum is pretty interactive. It is interesting to see others' perspectives of the world we live in. Creativity is certainly in abundance in Colorado. The local traffic enforcement is pretty creative too. Ben, trying to be smooth with his secret underground parking spot, got a $65 ticket. No as smooth as he hoped I guess. lol. Joking Ben!!
Unlike the mile-high city which is quite a ways out from the mountains, Boulder is situated pretty much at the base of the foothills so you don't have to go far to see the ginormous Rockies. Just outside of Boulder is a place called Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. It didn't take us very long to realize that maybe winter wasn't the best time to visit Colorado for the scenery! We went into Rocky Mountain National Park anyways. We found a few roads that were open and a short trail that led us around Sprague Lake. We got there in jeans and light shirts and had to gear up for the arctic chill and snow storm we ran into! We also realized pretty quick that our hiking boots aren't so swell on the ice. Meh, it just made our little walk more interesting! I'm sure that in the summer both Rocky Mountain and Estes have way more to offer. Here I thought Colorado was a winter time destination...I guess it is if you're a skiier otherwise, summer seems a bit more appealing. On the way out of the park we saw three elk hanging out on the side of the road. Katie was freaked they were going to attack the car, but they were more preoccupied with eating up the shoulder of the road.
Back to Boulder... it seems a bit less 'city' like. Pearl Street is also an outdoor mall, but rather than franchised companies lining the street, it's more hippy-ish, alternative and cafe-like feeling. They've also got street performers singing, playing instruments, or doing tricks. Instead of being entertained by the local peeps, we decided to entertain ourselves and spent 2 hours in a toy store called "Into the Wind". I don't think we left anything untouched... It definitely took us back to the days of playing 'cat's cradle' and making water tornados with cups and marbles! It was honestly the best store on the whole strip, for the pure fact that we got to play with eveything in the store.
After Into the Wind Katie and I met up with our friend Forrest at the Rio Grande, a margarita bar and restaurant. On the rocks with salt please? Forrest's drug of choice - tequila! Ya, not mine! And not Kel's either, even though it makes her real 'happy'. lol. After loosening up a little bit Forrest confessed his run-ins with the law when he was young and we discovered he was quite a hell raiser when he was a kid. Maybe tequila not such a good idea? lol.
Forrest's house (also built e-friendly) has an amazing view of the mountians from his back deck. Gosh, to wake up to that every morning! We also walked along the Boulder Creek trail and grabbed some lunch. If you're looking for a good hot dog and fries check out 'Mustard's Last Stand'. Can't go wrong there. And while you're in Boulder, take a short drive south to the town of Golden and visit the Coor's brewery. Lots of fun to be had there! You get to sample beer that's only 48 hours old, so smooth! We suggest Coors Blue Moon label, it's now our beer of choice.
On our way back from the brewery tour, we stopped back in Boulder to visit our friend Ilan. Ilan is a crazy guy. He had just had surgery on his elbow the morning before because he broke it biking. We didn't get to spend too much time with him but it was nice to catch up and tease him about the message he sent us the day before while he was all hopped up on meds. haha. To him we're the 'crazy Mullen girls' so it was nice to see the role reversal! Ilan, don't go falling off anymore bikes anytime soon!
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